Surrounded by friends and colleagues, Stapper was sworn into the firefighters union at the medical center Thursday morning. Mayor Jordan administered the oath and presented Stapper with the Fire Department Medal of Valor.

"It's kinda scary," said a cheerful Strapper, who now uses a wheelchair. "I'm not used to so much attention and all this media."

In that March 9 fire, in which a veteran colleague was killed and another injured, Stapper suffered burns over 40 percent of her body and severe damage to her lungs. Doctors say it's a miracle she survived the blaze.

She was the first woman firefighter in The City critically injured on the job.

Stapper, 34, who has not regained full vision, still faces a long period of physical therapy but hopes to eventually return to the Fire Department.

"I still want to be a firefighter and I believe in unions very strongly," she said. "I want to stay part of the firefighter family. It's not just a job for me." &lt;

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